There’s a reason why Dog is God, spelled backward — When the last dog, my companion, and protector, died, I cried and told everyone I didn’t know how to live without a dog. He was a large, high-strung, mixed breed who would nip when scared. Because he weighed over 100 pounds, people were not amused when he “bit” them. I…

My posts from the second half of May — I can’t believe May is over. Here are the writings (including this one) I posted during the second half of May. After five months, writing every day has become as much a part of my routine as brushing my teeth. At some point this month, I needed a break for…

A birthday gift that will keep on giving — I recently celebrated my 69th birthday. We gardened and enjoyed eating together. My family got me some presents, including a digital frame, which they set up with photos they thought I would want. It took a while to get the frame. It was delivered to a neighbor who immediately left town for a week. Once we got it…

My experience of the world was not typical because I am not neurotypical. — Learning I was autistic at 60 was an eye-opening experience for me and led me on a journey of self-discovery. I first realized that many of the things I think are universally true are not. …

A haiku —

A haiku

We all need a bit of structure from time to time. — Recently my daughter’s partner left town for two weeks, and we all became quite suddenly aware of how much he does. My daughter said it was the “time of taxis and takeaway food.” Her 12 year old son immediately added, “and chaos!” The fact is that my son-out-law holds a…

It seems so simple, yet it also seems so rare — The photo above reminds us to respect our elders. It doesn’t go far enough. Respect everyone. Today was another day when I was surprised by the treatment I received from people who were strangers. In this case, three young men are doing construction work in my garden. Their work could have been…

#8: Dogs, cats, and birds give me joy — From my earliest days on Medium, I have included occasional posts about animals. I think I would like to write more about my dog and about birds. I might even write about the neighborhood cats who often invade my yard. This is definitely a list that’s worth scrolling to the…